Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Franklin Regional getting healthy, building momentum

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Franklin Regional is getting healthy. That could be bad news for other boys soccer teams in WPIAL Class 3A.

“The more we start to get healthy, the more depth we have,” Panthers coach Nick White said. “When we put guys in, the level doesn’t drop.”

Senior Keaton Sheetz and sophomore Aidan Schlagel returned from injuries and played against Belle Vernon last week in a game the Panthers dominated, 6-0.

Sheetz gave the team a shot in the arm with his return.

“Keaton played the most minutes of anyone on the team last year,” White said. “I don’t think there were many times when he came out of games.”

With junior Ian Johns gradually on the mend and set to return soon, the Panthers are nearing full health.

Of course, two players are out with season-ending injuries: sophomore Kai Sheetz and senior Ashton Demor.

Still, going from having eight starters out in an earlier game to a more experienced rotation will have its advantages.

While players have been out, reserves have logged valuable minutes and are now varsity ready.

The Panthers (12-3), who were ranked No. 5 by Trib HSSN and leading Section 3, were trending upward with four regular-season games remaining.

“I want our guys to play a full 80 minutes, but they can play 60. That’s great,” White said. “The subs allow them to rest and be fresh. When guys are on the field, I want them to go 100 (mph).

“We’ve put ourselves in a good spot. We want to build momentum as we go toward the playoffs. Our No. 1 goal was to make the playoffs. Now, we want to finish the right way.”

Not done yet

Jeannette flipped the script on a section opponent and scored an important win to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.

After losing to Riverview, 4-1, earlier in the season, the Jayhawks blanked the Raiders, 3-0, on Monday to take the rematch.

Jeannette is in fifth place, and the top four finishers qualify for the playoffs.

Riverview (5-8-1, 2-5-1) is in fourth.

The Jayhawks (5-9, 2-7) must win their final section game Thursday against Trinity Christian and get some help.

Riverview has two games left, both at home, against St. Joseph and Trinity Christian.

Down to the wire

It looks like a two-team race at the top of Section 4-2A.

Mt. Pleasant (12-4) and Charleroi (12-3) are tied at 11-1 with two games left, including a finale against one another Tuesday at Mt. Pleasant. Charleroi won the first time 3-0.

Both teams have games Thursday: Mt. Pleasant at Southmoreland and Charleroi against Derry.

Mt. Pleasant is seeking its first section title since 2021.

Another section title will be settled Thursday when Norwin (8-5-2, 7-1-1) visits Plum (14-2-2, 8-0-1). Plum won the first meeting, 1-0.

The interesting thing is both teams have a tie. If Norwin wins, they will tie at 8-1-1, and both get section plaques.

Plum won the title last year with a 10-0 mark.

Playoff picture

Seven teams from Westmoreland County are playoff-bound with just about one week left to play in the regular season.

Local qualifiers are Norwin in 4A, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford and Belle Vernon in 3A and Mt. Pleasant and Yough in 2A.

Hempfield (2-7) and Gateway (2-7) are tied for fourth place in Section 1-4A with one section game left. Hempfield plays at Gateway on Thursday, with the winner clinching a spot.

Gateway won the first matchup 1-0.

Rankings check

Franklin Regional jumped a spot to No. 4 in the Trib HSSN Class 3A rankings. The Panthers are the only Westmoreland boys team that is ranked.

Corner kicks

The Penn-Trafford at Kiski Area boys game set for Saturday has been moved to next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The Penn-Trafford and Kiski Area girls will play directly after that game. … Ligonier Valley goalkeeper William Bee was credited with 33 saves in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to McGuffey.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Jeannette, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough